Flaherty, mind you, was a Rule 5 pick from the Cubs who had to yet to play in the majors. But he felt emboldened, seeing Hardy — at first glance — look so ordinary.

Little did Flaherty grasp that Hardy, then 29, was about to win three consecutive Gold Gloves and serve as the model for an infielder who would join the Orioles that August, Manny Machado.

Seven years later, Machado is one of the game’s biggest stars, newly minted with a 10-year $300 million free-agent contract from the Padres. Despite being just 26, he also has graduated from pupil to mentor, imparting the lessons Hardy taught him to Fernando Tatis Jr., the game’s No. 2 prospect, according to Baseball America, and Padres’ shortstop-in-waiting.